Houdini's Real Trick
by Skylark Evanson
Summary: Henry has a bit of information on Houdini's real trick. Now it's time for him to use it.


**A/N: hiya. I'm a huge fan of Unnatural History, but I've been a little busy** **with other** **things. But anyways, I came up with this after last week's episode with all the magic. I cant exactly remember the episode name.**

**Point is, Unnatural History plus my little bit of background knowledge on Houdini equals a couple of brilliant ideas and the makings of an amazing fic.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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**_Houdini's Real Trick_**

"Hey, Maggie, favor. Please?" Henry had his grip around her wrist and was pulling her aside into the lines of massive wooden crates backstage while Jasper was out entertaining the crowd to tie them over until Henry and Maggie could get out there.

Her eyes watched him carefully as he pulled her along the dark shadows of the room. "Sure. What is it?" she asked, flipping her long ponytail over one shoulder and pulling the remaining dark strands out of her eyes.

Silently, Henry pressed a small piece of metal into her palm. Then he leaned in and whispered the plan into her ear, making sure there was no possible way for anyone else to hear him.

Maggie's eyes widened slightly, but she gave him a small nod. "Alright."

With a quiet smile, Henry disappeared around the crates, leaving Maggie alone backstage.

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After making a small bunny disappear inside a cage and replacing it with Jasper, Henry watched the sides of the stage for any signs of Maggie. His eyes eagerly awaited her arrival on stage. This would be good.

Finally, the girl stepped out on stage, a long, flowing maroon colored dress falling around her knees. Her gaze was clearly unsure of this, but Henry could read her eyes and see that she was going through with it. He needed her for this trick. It was a Houdini original. The only one he knew that had a real secret to it.

Jasper was introducing her on stage as she came over to stand beside Henry. A heavy heart shaped locket hung at the base of her throat. She smiled and gave the smallest wave to the crowd as a couple of wolf-whistles came out. Maggie tried not to roll her eyes. She would just have to accept this as it was. She was meant to be out on stage for a purpose.

Henry's trick introductory was short and his gaze fell on her. She returned it with a stiff and subtle nod, not saying a word.

Maggie hardly said much, but when she did speak, it was important and people needed to listen. When Henry spoke, it was always important and he was always talking. Listening was a bit less vital. So most of the audience's eyes were on Maggie's beauty.

With swift steps and a quick approach, Henry was standing right in front of her, Jasper still on the other side of the stage, not quite sure how this would work. It wasn't in the rehearsal. Not that he noticed at least. "Maggie will tie Henry into the boxes and chain him up. You all saw as you looked at him in his boxers when you came in. Then he put his clothes on onstage. There is nothing to hide and there is nothing but magic supporting his escape from this prison of a box."

Maggie opened up the box with her gloved hands. She showed the audience that there was nothing in it as she should and kept her eyes on Henry every step of the way. She showed the audience the shackles within the massive wooden crate and spun it around so they could see there was no way out other than the flap she would open and close.

They all saw. Henry nodded to her.

She smiled and made her way over to him, clearing the last bit of stage that stood between them and she felt his lips crash onto hers in a full on make-out session. She knew it couldn't last more than a minute at the most, but she knew they had to take care of this one little part of the trick that Jasper hadn't exactly been told about.

The key transfer.

Before stepping onstage, Maggie had slipped the key under her tongue and into the pocket of her cheek, meaning she had to be silent until Henry needed her to give it to him. Jasper's introduction was enough time to keep the audience busy and Maggie could just show of the box as he spoke. And slowly, but precisely, Henry could make his way over towards Maggie on the far right side of the stage where she had shown the box and where Jasper would move it to the center later so they could shove Henry in it.

Gasps came from the audience and Jasper's jaw just dropped in the shock that crossed over his features.

Maggie felt Henry's tongue searching her mouth for the small piece of metal that he had to keep hidden. Transferring it like this would keep it a secret and keep the audience distracted for a bit longer in the shock of the moment.

Finally, Henry found the key and he kissed Maggie a little harder to distract her. He managed to suck it into his own mouth and tuck it into the pocket of his cheek and still remain silent. The kiss lasted a moment longer before Henry pulled away and winked at the girl with a small, sly smile playing across his lips.

"And now, we lock him up!" announced Maggie, now smiling and eyes twinkling. She stared out at the audience in their shocked state as Jasper, still quite shocked himself, began pushing the box towards the center of the large stage with the drop slot beneath it not needed for this specific trick.

Henry just smiled out at the audience before cramming himself into the box's nooks and crannies, barely fitting in. It was perfect.

Maggie shoved him in the box a bit roughly, trying to get a shred of revenge for making her do this. "I will lock him up." The girl made a bit show of pressing his wrists into the tight bonds and locking them as tightly as they would go.

The whole time, Henry just smiled and Jasper just stared.

Slowly but surely, Maggie locked up both his ankles and his other wrist. "And now," she said loudly, voice resonating through the massive theatre, "we lock the crate." She shut it. A massive padlock was hooked around the pieces of the metal to contain Henry within the crate.

"He only has about two minutes worth of air," Jasper told the audience, his voice containing a subtle shaking to it.

Maggie hoped his hand could crane enough to get the key from between his lips. But she had no worries. This was Houdini's real trick. The key transfer from his wife to him and a key transfer between her and Henry would be almost the exact same thing with subtleness to it. Shocking the crowd would be an even better distraction.

There was a long pause from the crowd and Jasper and Maggie stood still on the stage in a silence as they waited for Henry to escape. Jasper had one eye on his watch and one eye on Maggie, still wondering what all that was about a minute ago.

Nearly a minute passed and finally, the box moved and Henry kicked through the thick wood, his foot appearing through it and then his other foot kicked off the last of it. Slowly, he pulled his way out of it and appeared back on stage, the key back in his mouth and still hidden from sight. And he wanted to give it back to Maggie the same way he had recieved it.

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**A/N: and there is my one-shot! Tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!**

**~Sky**


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